2010-2011 University of Miami Application Thread

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bigballer27 said:
you can come back to miami for your 4th year and do rotations at Jackson, so really, you're just leaving for one year. Don't get me wrong, that's still a hassle, but it can also provide different opportunities. JFK also had a lot of underserved, and you get more one-one interaction with the docs, even though its not 'high volume'

Personally, I haven't really figured it out yet. I really want the extra training in public health, but I'm also pretty worried about losing out on some relationships that you build during your first 2 years, not to mention that the MD/MPH track is quite different from the MD track, even during the regular school year.

Hopefully I can make my decision soon.

Can anyone else confirm the Feb 15th deadline to decide? For some reason, I feel like it was sometime in March...
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hey guys, i've been lurking on this thread for a while but i figured i might as well post something. i got into both programs too.

you're not leaving miami just for one year in the md/mph program. you spend half your m4 doing required clerkships at the jfk medical center, and then you got 14 weeks (4.5 months) of electives doing whatever you want.

yeah you could probably 'lose out' on some relationships from the first 2 years, but don't forget you got ~50 other students going with you to palm beach county (and you can always make new friends. you gotta expand your sphere of influence anyway and network with different people). yeah the md/mph track is different from the md track, but if you're worried about it and you can't see/appreciate the value in why it's structured like that, you might wanna rethink why you applied to the md/mph program in the first place. the mph isn't just an extra degree/training you tack on your resume-- it's a different way of thinking that combines individual-oriented medical training with community-based interventions.

i had my mentors and professors hound me about why i wanted both an md/mph instead of one or the other. they rode my ass on it until i had thought about it enough and gave them a good enough reason. keep in mind that it's not easy maintaining a career that combines both fields successfully-- the people i know who are able to do that (and they are a handful compared to the rest of the md/mph professionals-- they're a dime a dozen-- out there who eventually choose to do one field over the other) put in a **** ton of hard work and passion into it. don't waste your time getting a medical degree if at the end of the day, you want to do public health research, and don't waste your time getting a public health degree if at the end of the day, you see yourself only practicing individual-based health.
 
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yojimmy said:
hey guys, i've been lurking on this thread for a while but i figured i might as well post something. i got into both programs too.

you're not leaving miami just for one year in the md/mph program. you spend half your m4 doing required clerkships at the jfk medical center, and then you got 14 weeks (4.5 months) of electives doing whatever you want.

yeah you could probably 'lose out' on some relationships from the first 2 years, but don't forget you got ~50 other students going with you to palm beach county (and you can always make new friends. you gotta expand your sphere of influence anyway and network with different people). yeah the md/mph track is different from the md track, but if you're worried about it and you can't see/appreciate the value in why it's structured like that, you might wanna rethink why you applied to the md/mph program in the first place. the mph isn't just an extra degree/training you tack on your resume-- it's a different way of thinking that combines individual-oriented medical training with community-based interventions.

i had my mentors and professors hound me about why i wanted both an md/mph instead of one or the other. they rode my ass on it until i had thought about it enough and gave them a good enough reason. keep in mind that it's not easy maintaining a career that combines both fields successfully-- the people i know who are able to do that (and they are a handful compared to the rest of the md/mph professionals-- they're a dime a dozen-- out there who eventually choose to do one field over the other) put in a **** ton of hard work and passion into it. don't waste your time getting a medical degree if at the end of the day, you want to do public health research, and don't waste your time getting a public health degree if at the end of the day, you see yourself only practicing individual-based health.
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Does this mean that you HAVE to undertake the MD/MPH track to have a specific way of thinking? I don't agree with that...Also, you can practice public health measures without the degree. As a doc, you'll be exposed to the public health aspect of the medical field as long as you put yourself out there.

Also, I didn't say that I applied to the MPH track juts go get a few extra letters to my name. I was just giving both sides of an argument, that while you do get so much extra by dedicating some more time/effort, there are things that I personally value that I will lose out on by leaving for over a year and a half and being in a different track (50 kids vs 150 kids in the MD program)

ps, thanks for the clarification TBgirl, hopefully we can make our decision ASAP! Let me know what you decide!!
 
bigballer27 said:
Does this mean that you HAVE to undertake the MD/MPH track to have a specific way of thinking? I don't agree with that...Also, you can practice public health measures without the degree. As a doc, you'll be exposed to the public health aspect of the medical field as long as you put yourself out there.

Also, I didn't say that I applied to the MPH track juts go get a few extra letters to my name. I was just giving both sides of an argument, that while you do get so much extra by dedicating some more time/effort, there are things that I personally value that I will lose out on by leaving for over a year and a half and being in a different track (50 kids vs 150 kids in the MD program)

ps, thanks for the clarification TBgirl, hopefully we can make our decision ASAP! Let me know what you decide!!
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Well although I agree with you about not NEEDING a MPH to have the public health mindset as a physician, there are some distinct differences between the MD and MD/MPH program at Miami. The biggest benefit to me is working at the PBCHD, one of the best public health departments in the country. The volume is high and as a student you would get considerable hands-on experience in a public health setting- which I find to be particularly special.
 
AshleyC said:
Well although I agree with you about not NEEDING a MPH to have the public health mindset as a physician, there are some distinct differences between the MD and MD/MPH program at Miami. The biggest benefit to me is working at the PBCHD, one of the best public health departments in the country. The volume is high and as a student you would get considerable hands-on experience in a public health setting- which I find to be particularly special.
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That is really special, considering not many people have the same opportunity to gain those experiences. Do you think we would get as much, if not more, hands on experience than at Jackson?
 
bigballer27 said:
Does this mean that you HAVE to undertake the MD/MPH track to have a specific way of thinking? I don't agree with that...Also, you can practice public health measures without the degree. As a doc, you'll be exposed to the public health aspect of the medical field as long as you put yourself out there.
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agreed that you can be a doc without the PH and still do PH stuff. no doubt. but that also depends on how much PH you want to incorporate into your career. e.g. if i was a doc, and i wanted to have considerable involvement/serve as a liaison in a community health-based program that required knowledge of theory-based/community-based models, biostatistics, epidemiology, etc etc which i won't get from my md training, then having a PH would be beneficial. i'd know not only how to deal with my individual patients clinically, but also know how to think/speak in a language where i can evaluate research literature critically, interact with community leaders, public health professionals, and the like. but all that depends on the extent of your participation in the PH world as a doctor.

you don't HAVE to take the md/mph track to have a specific way of thinking, but you want to be able to develop it to the point where it becomes feasibly useful and applicable in whatever project/program you're undertaking.

The biggest benefit to me is working at the PBCHD, one of the best public health departments in the country. The volume is high and as a student you would get considerable hands-on experience in a public health setting- which I find to be particularly special.
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PH knowledge where you get instant involvement = 👍

That is really special, considering not many people have the same opportunity to gain those experiences. Do you think we would get as much, if not more, hands on experience than at Jackson?
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we probably won't get the same wide range and volume of cases (but they'll still be there). but i remember being told that the ratio for med students to physicians at jfk gives us more time/opportunities to interact with the docs compared to the students at jackson = potentially more hands-on experience.
 
Is anyone interviewing on Feb 7th/8th for the MD/MPH and driving from Miami to the Regional Campus Monday afternoon?
Or anyone looking to split a car service with me? It's mighty pricey for that one hour trip 🙁
 
yojimmy said:
agreed that you can be a doc without the PH and still do PH stuff. no doubt. but that also depends on how much PH you want to incorporate into your career. e.g. if i was a doc, and i wanted to have considerable involvement/serve as a liaison in a community health-based program that required knowledge of theory-based/community-based models, biostatistics, epidemiology, etc etc which i won't get from my md training, then having a PH would be beneficial. i'd know not only how to deal with my individual patients clinically, but also know how to think/speak in a language where i can evaluate research literature critically, interact with community leaders, public health professionals, and the like. but all that depends on the extent of your participation in the PH world as a doctor.

you don't HAVE to take the md/mph track to have a specific way of thinking, but you want to be able to develop it to the point where it becomes feasibly useful and applicable in whatever project/program you're undertaking.

PH knowledge where you get instant involvement = 👍

we probably won't get the same wide range and volume of cases (but they'll still be there). but i remember being told that the ratio for med students to physicians at jfk gives us more time/opportunities to interact with the docs compared to the students at jackson = potentially more hands-on experience.
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I was told the same thing, but also that that ratio will probably decrease as more of the PH students start their clinical training at JFK.
 
md/mph also starts at june 15, i think. kinda wish i had those extra months to fool around
 
does anyone know what miami thinks about sending letters of interest? i did undergrad there and have stats right around their avg/a bit above for gpa and i haven't heard anything from them at all regarding an interview. i was complete mid november and oos... but still i would think having graduated from there and having decent stats, they would at least offer me an interview! i can't understand this and am getting really worried now that it is so late in the season. does anyone know if miami is done handing out interviews or should i wait a while longer before contacting them to check? :scared:
 
littlestar said:
does anyone know what miami thinks about sending letters of interest? i did undergrad there and have stats right around their avg/a bit above for gpa and i haven't heard anything from them at all regarding an interview. i was complete mid november and oos... but still i would think having graduated from there and having decent stats, they would at least offer me an interview! i can't understand this and am getting really worried now that it is so late in the season. does anyone know if miami is done handing out interviews or should i wait a while longer before contacting them to check? :scared:
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I sent an LOI in which I asked for an interview. I was granted one a few days later. I'm now accepted and seriously considering attending but having a hard time choosing between Miami and another school in the east. Miami will probably win though lol.
 
TBRaysgirl said:
I'm pretty sure I was told Feb 15th at the interview.

I am going back and fourth between the 2 programs. I really want to work in the field of public health as well, but I am wondering if it would be better for me to do my MPH sometime later along the line. I am also worried about moving and part of the reason I wanted to go to Miami was being able to work at Jackson.

Has anyone heard anything about financial aid yet?
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I did receive notice about a financial aid award (completely unexpected), but it was based on my non-resident status and I did interview in the second round of MD/MPH interviews back in October and just got the letter last week, so they're probably on a rolling review. Others are probably in the same boat and might just not want to say anything.

As for MD vs. MD/MPH, I am firmly in the MD/MPH side of things. I plan on practicing medicine abroad for a period of time, which from my experience is best done with a firm grasp of public health factors. This can also help with a career in academic medicine and understanding important areas you can research to improve. It really comes down to if you can see yourself using the MPH within your career aspirations. If I thought I was just going to go into private practice, then the MPH would likely be excessive.

As far as relocating to West Palm Beach for the 3rd and half of 4th years, I see it almost as a positive in terms of focusing during rotations. I think it might be good to be away from the distractions of Miami at that key time to just focus on medicine. Besides if you have a weekend off, you can always go back to Miami to hang out with friends there. I still think we'll see a wide variety of cases in West Palm Beach between the county clinics and the hospitals there. For my sub-I's I'll definitely have to go back to Miami to do those though. I think my interviewer said they'd have something set up as far as temporary housing for that, but I don't remember at this point.

Lastly, I think we'll definitely benefit from the PBL-based curriculum as evidenced from the regional campus' higher average board scores. I can see the appeal of both styles of curriculum, but from my personal experience I prefer PBL.
 
gujuDoc said:
Do update letters at Miami count for anything? I know they have this point system ranking and based on that determines whether or not u get an interview. At least that's how hinkley explained it few years ago when he was still dean there and was at USF for the med school forum to talk about admissions there.

Anyhow, what I don't know and am wondering is whether or not sending updates about anything makes a difference or whether it means nothing since they assign u points and those points determine if they interview u.
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Update letters count if you have something very significant to update on, such as a major publication. But in general they don't for much since the bulk of your application has already been submitted through AMCAS, and it would have to make a major addition to your existing application to really count for something.
 
HawaiiHereICome said:
I sent an LOI in which I asked for an interview. I was granted one a few days later. I'm now accepted and seriously considering attending but having a hard time choosing between Miami and another school in the east. Miami will probably win though lol.
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who did you send it to? just the general office of admissions or did you address it to the dean?
 
Hey, guys. Received an interview invite this morning. Scheduled it for this upcoming Monday, 2/7. Excited!

Congrats to those accepted! Keep the faith for those in the waitlist! And good luck and hang in there all those waiting to hear back!

-Cgc217
 
cgc217 said:
Hey, guys. Received an interview invite this morning. Scheduled it for this upcoming Monday, 2/7. Excited!

Congrats to those accepted! Keep the faith for those in the waitlist! And good luck and hang in there all those waiting to hear back!

-Cgc217
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Hey, when did you complete your application? I submitted mine mid January. Thanks in advance!
 
Cooper8 said:
Hey, when did you complete your application? I submitted mine mid January. Thanks in advance!
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i was complete in early september and still havent heard anything at all!!!! come on miami!
 
OOS applicant complete since mid September and no word... Interview slots continue to decrease and no interview invite. Should I be worried?
 
Hey, guys. Quick question. I think MiamiGuy answered this already in an earlier post, though. But can't seem to find it.

Is the class full yet? I am interviewing this upcoming Monday. Want to see if the Committee is just placing on the alternate list at this point.

Thanks in advance for anyone with the answer.
 
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cgc217 said:
Hey, guys. Quick question. I think MiamiGuy answered this already in an earlier post, though. But can't seem to find it.

Is the class full yet? I am interviewing this upcoming Monday. Want to see if the Committee is just placing on the alternate list at this point.

Thanks in advance for anyone with the answer.
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I'm interviewing Monday too! good luck!

EDIT: I really hope I'm not flying across the country for a waitlist spot, I refuse to believe that crap, or much of anything else posted on here by people haha. I read on here in November that USC was completely done handing out interviews. I called and asked about a week ago and they said they were just over half done.
 
I'm going to be flying down to Miami to interview for the MD & MD/MPH programs on February 21/22. Is anyone else interviewing for both programs that would want to ride with me from Miami to Palm Beach if I rent a car? PM me if you're interested!

I'm thinking of staying down there an extra night and flying out of Palm Beach on that Wednesday. Does anyone know any good places to eat or such that I should check out while I'm down there? I'm not going to be excited to fly back home to the freezing snow/ice weather! :scared:
 
sailor06 said:
I'm interviewing Monday too! good luck!

EDIT: I really hope I'm not flying across the country for a waitlist spot, I refuse to believe that crap, or much of anything else posted on here by people haha. I read on here in November that USC was completely done handing out interviews. I called and asked about a week ago and they said they were just over half done.
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I hear ya! Let's hope for the best! See you Monday!
 
gujuDoc said:
good luck. I've known people to interview at Miami in the spring in the past, granted it was quite a few years ago now, and get in right away no waitlist in the middle. So keep your head up high.

you'll be fine. 🙂
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Thanks for the pick-me-up, gujuDoc! Good luck at UCF...was on their waitlist last year so I know exactly how you feel!
 
"If an applicant holds acceptances in both the regular MD program and the MD/MPH program, one of these seats must be relinquished by February 15th."

This is from their website. Hopefully I hear back this Wednesday then 🙂
 
AshleyC said:
"If an applicant holds acceptances in both the regular MD program and the MD/MPH program, one of these seats must be relinquished by February 15th."

This is from their website. Hopefully I hear back this Wednesday then 🙂
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I interviewed Monday/Tuesday this week for the MD/MPH. One of the docs in charge of the new program clarified that if you hear back after this obviously that changes things (Those of us who interviewed this week are not likely to hear back any sooner because of this deadline so don't worry about it).

Also, according to the dean of admissions, who spoke to us about this, the MD class is nearly full but there are still a number of seats left for the new dual degree program. I have to say though that I was much more impressed with the traditional MD program because of the benefit of training at Jackson, though we were assured we'd get great clinical rotations up north at JFK and Bethesda as well. I'm very interested in public health but you cannot switch between the MD/MPH and the traditional MD program so if your interests change you're kinda stuck, and they also did say that people with the dual degree are likely to go into primary care and internal medicine. All in all it sounds like a great option though if you're 100% sure that's the track you want.
 
sailor06 said:
I interviewed Monday/Tuesday this week for the MD/MPH. One of the docs in charge of the new program clarified that if you hear back after this obviously that changes things (Those of us who interviewed this week are not likely to hear back any sooner because of this deadline so don't worry about it).

Also, according to the dean of admissions, who spoke to us about this, the MD class is nearly full but there are still a number of seats left for the new dual degree program. I have to say though that I was much more impressed with the traditional MD program because of the benefit of training at Jackson, though we were assured we'd get great clinical rotations up north at JFK and Bethesda as well. I'm very interested in public health but you cannot switch between the MD/MPH and the traditional MD program so if your interests change you're kinda stuck, and they also did say that people with the dual degree are likely to go into primary care and internal medicine. All in all it sounds like a great option though if you're 100% sure that's the track you want.
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Hey, sailor06...quick question. I had the 1PM interview that day, so I didn't get to hear Dr. Weismann's wrap-up session. The students told us we should be hearing back in 4-6 weeks and then Agnes, before I left, said 2-4 weeks. Do you recall when Dr. Weismann said we should hear back?

Man...a slight relief that the class is not full yet...granted it nearly is...but not yet.

I, too, was very impressed with the whole interview day!
 
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cgc217 said:
Hey, sailor06...quick question. I had the 1PM interview that day, so I didn't get to hear Dr. Weismann's wrap-up session. The students told us we should be hearing back in 4-6 weeks and then Agnes, before I left, said 2-4 weeks. Do you recall when Dr. Weismann said we should hear back?

Man...the a slight relief that the class is not full yet...granted it nearly is...but not yet.

I, too, was very impressed with the whole interview day!
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he said 4-6 weeks and that the committee meets on wednesdays and usually tries to call everyone who has been accepted wednesday evening. Good luck!!!
 
sailor06 said:
he said 4-6 weeks and that the committee meets on wednesdays and usually tries to call everyone who has been accepted wednesday evening. Good luck!!!
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Thanks! Good luck to you, as well! Hope we hear good news...:xf:
 
How long did it take to get your packet after sending your letter of intent to matriculate.
 
HawaiiHereICome said:
How long did it take to get your packet after sending your letter of intent to matriculate.
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My acceptance letter came after two weeks of my acceptance phone call. I had called about it and they told me they do not send out acceptance packets, only a letter. The letter said that they will e-mail us more information. I think they will set up a website for us to use for deposits and other information in the near future. I found the one from last year here:

http://www.mededu.miami.edu/Admissions
 
anyone who got accepted to both programs deciding on the MD instead of the MD/MPH? feb 15 is coming up real soon...
 
Sunny29918 said:
My acceptance letter came after two weeks of my acceptance phone call. I had called about it and they told me they do not send out acceptance packets, only a letter. The letter said that they will e-mail us more information. I think they will set up a website for us to use for deposits and other information in the near future. I found the one from last year here:

http://www.mededu.miami.edu/Admissions
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I see. Yah I got the letter weeks ago but I've been checking my box for the packet everyday waiting to see the additional info etc. Thanks! Did you get any additional information by email yet?
 
streudels said:
anyone who got accepted to both programs deciding on the MD instead of the MD/MPH? feb 15 is coming up real soon...
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I think I may choose regular MD. I am still not 100%, but I don't think I'll be ready to start in June and I'm not sure how much I would benefit from the MPH. Are you in the same boat?
 
HawaiiHereICome said:
I see. Yah I got the letter weeks ago but I've been checking my box for the packet everyday waiting to see the additional info etc. Thanks! Did you get any additional information by email yet?
Click to expand...

No. I have not gotten anything by e-mail yet, they lady in the admissions office made it seem like everyone would get it at the same time soon. Do you think they send a packet also? I guess by the way the lady spoke with me, there was not going to be a packet just info later by e-mail, but I may have been under the wrong impression. Maybe you should call?
 
TBRaysgirl said:
I think I may choose regular MD. I am still not 100%, but I don't think I'll be ready to start in June and I'm not sure how much I would benefit from the MPH. Are you in the same boat?
Click to expand...


I'm in the exact same position as you. It also seems like MPH would direct you more towards primary care (not a major interest of mine), academia, and/or an administrative position in the future.

One positive note about MPH, I think, is that with healthcare going the way it is, preventative medicine is going to be a big thing soon...either way I'm leaning towards MD, and will make my decision by tomorrow. Agnes said that Dean Weisman is going to send out an email for us to make our decision sometime this week so lets wait and see...
 
bigballer27 said:
I'm in the exact same position as you. It also seems like MPH would direct you more towards primary care (not a major interest of mine), academia, and/or an administrative position in the future.

One positive note about MPH, I think, is that with healthcare going the way it is, preventative medicine is going to be a big thing soon...either way I'm leaning towards MD, and will make my decision by tomorrow. Agnes said that Dean Weisman is going to send out an email for us to make our decision sometime this week so lets wait and see...
Click to expand...

i think i'm set on the md/mph. i suppose it seems incongruous since i'm very interested in pursuing emergency medicine as a specialty (the polar opposite of primary care), and if i were to do the MD program, jackson memorial would be an amazing place to rotate around. but even with the md/mph program i can still go to jackson (or anywhere else for that matter) to do an additional EM clerkship so it's not too much of a loss.
 
I just sent my decision and I picked the MD over the MD/MPH. It is a relief to have finally made this decision!
 
TBRaysgirl said:
I just sent my decision and I picked the MD over the MD/MPH. It is a relief to have finally made this decision!
Click to expand...


congrats! I'm making my decision today too...


there needs to be a Facebook group made asap!!
 
bigballer27 said:
congrats! I'm making my decision today too...


there needs to be a Facebook group made asap!!
Click to expand...

There is an unofficial one made for the class of 2015, but someone posted on there that the class of 2014 will be making an official one for us and inviting all of the accepted applicants.
 
Going with MD...

decided MPH would be excessive, and I don't want the extra load of classes...as if MD isn't hard enough itself.
 
Just received an interview invite!!!! OOS

Apparently though I'm flying out to just get on a waitlist...sweeeeeeeet...
 
goldenmug8 said:
Just received an interview invite!!!! OOS

Apparently though I'm flying out to just get on a waitlist...sweeeeeeeet...
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Congrats! But how do you know ur interviewing for waitlist??
 
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